(HARRISON COUNTY, MS) You may have noticed a lot of construction going on lately at North Gulfport Middle School. That’s because the expansion and renovation of the North Gulfport campus is officially underway.

Starks Construction was awarded the bid for this $7.3 million project to turn North Gulfport into a K-8 school. This month, crews are busy building five sets of restrooms and installing utilities.

They have also been working on the in-ground plumbing, walls, and foundation. The project also includes a new gym, new entrance facade and administrative offices. This project is scheduled to be complete by summer of 2021.

The North Gulfport additions are part of the HCSD Bond Issue that was passed in 2018. Our thanks to the voters for their overwhelming support of the bond. Stay tuned for more updates at North Gulfport and other bond projects!

Phase one includes building nine new restrooms at the field house, ICT, and main building. Crews are also building a new front entrance and administrative offices.

Another HCSD Bond Issue Project is taking shape! Work is about 65-percent complete on the new security entrance gate at Harrison Central High School. The project includes a guard station, brick walls, underground drainage, and road work.

Samuel Day Contracting won the bid to construct the entrance gate. Our thanks to all the voters who supported the bond. This project is part of our efforts to enhance security at HCHS and ten other campuses in the Harrison County School District.

NOVEMBER 6, 2019: Groundbreaking on New West Harrison Middle School

(HARRISON COUNTY, MS) Clear, sunny skies and backhoes provided a beautiful backdrop for a groundbreaking ceremony for the new West Harrison Middle School. On November 6, 2019, Harrison County School District leaders, elected officials, and other special guests gathered to celebrate the start of construction on the new school. The groundbreaking was held exactly a year after voters overwhelmingly approved a $55 million bond issue for various projects to accommodate growth and upgrade security in the District.

“The voters of Harrison County spoke loud and clear of the need for the expansion. Our county is growing by leaps and bounds. We must thank the voters in the Harrison County School District for supporting the bond issue to make this possible to fund the new West Harrison Middle School,” said HCSD Superintendent Roy Gill.

According to Harrison County Supervisor Angel Kibler-Middleton, over 2,000 new homes have been approved for the unincorporated areas of Harrison County over the last few years.

The new middle school will be located on 21411 Landon Road. The property is just north of West Harrison High School. The new school will help relieve overcrowding at North Gulfport Middle School and West Wortham Middle School. All 7th and 8th graders who are zoned to attend West Harrison High School will be attending the new West Harrison Middle School.

“As they come together as 7th graders, they will build that community, that family unit, knowing 'I will be a Hurricane as I enter high school,'” said Gill.

The new school will be about 102,786 square feet in size. It will have 48 classrooms, practice fields for football, baseball and softball, a band hall, Smartboards in every classroom, and the latest security features.

“It’s a very large building. We tried to incorporate a lot of new technology, new state-of-the-art band hall with sound panels, new gymnasium that can accommodate two practices going on at any time, to help with the number of kids they are going to have in the facility,” said Project Architect Marty Hardy.

“We also designed it so it can be easily expandable for the future, which is vital. I feel it’s going to be of great use,” said Hardy. “We tried to think about everything in the community. We tried to make sure they progress, they have places to go, they have safe places to be,” said Hardy.

Classes are scheduled to begin at West Harrison Middle School in August of 2021. The estimated initial enrollment is 750 students, and the campus has enough space for future expansion.

“As we continue to grow, our district will have to continue to grow. I’m just pleased to have the support of everyone here,” said Gill. “With no further ado, it’s time to get to work!”

(HARRISON COUNTY) The Harrison County School District is taking extra measures this year to enhance the safety and security of our students and staff. Starting in the 2019-20 school year, HCSD is implementing a new screening system for every person who visits our schools, including central office.

The Visitors Hall Pass Management System was recently installed on all 22 campuses in HCSD. Visitors must now show a valid ID, and the information is scanned and checked. The ID is also scanned against the national sex offender databases and School Restricted Vicitors List. Visitors who are cleared will receive a badge that expires after a certain time. The staff is being trained on how to use this new system.

Along with the Hall Pass, work is underway this summer to upgrade the security entrances at ten of HCSD schools. Five projects have already been completed, while the rest are either under construction or in the final design stages. The entrance improvements were part of the 2018 HCSD Bond Issue that voters passed on November 6, 2018.

For the fourth straight year, administrators, directors, and instructional literacy coaches in the Harrison County School District are undergoing CRASE safety training to prepare for the new school year. CRASE stands for “Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events”.

Four years ago, Harrison County School District was the first district in Mississippi to hold CRASE training for educators. This type of training is now a state requirement for schools across the state. The topics included human trafficking in schools, school threat assessment, bomb threats, social media awareness, and gangs in Mississippi schools.

These programs send an important message: Safety is always first in HCSD!

All projects in the 2018 bond issue are scheduled to be completed by August of 2021.

APRIL 5, 2019 -- UPDATE ON HCSD 2018 BOND ISSUE PROJECTS:

(HARRISON COUNTY, MS) On Monday, the Harrison County School Board received an update on projects outlined in the Harrison County School Bond Issue. Those projects include a new K-8 school, a new middle school, renovations and expansion at North Gulfport Middle School, and security upgrades of entrances.

New K-8 School on the East Side: The District has purchased more than 40-acres of property on Highway 15, just north of the D’Iberville Sportsplex to build a new K-8 school. The District is now moving forward with the permitting process.

New Middle School on the West Side: The District initially planned to build a new middle school on 16th section land, just south of West Harrison High School. After soil testing, it was determined that the soil would not provide a solid foundation for the project. It would cost up to $750,000 for the site prep. The District has decided to move the location to the northeast side of the 16th section land. The property is about 33 acres. The permitting process is also underway.

North Gulfport Middle School Renovations: Topographic work and soil testing are complete. Schematic design drawings have also been completed. Once the design development drawings are completed in June, the District will request approval from the Harrison County School Board to advertise for bids.

Due to the permitting process and soil quality issues, the completion date for all the bond issue projects has been changed to August of 2021.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2018-Harrison County School District Bond Issue The Harrison County School District has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade. The district’s enrollment has continued to increase every year, from 12,877 students in 2008 to more than 15,000 students in 2018.

We are blessed to be able to attract so many families to the Harrison County School District. We are at a point now where we must construct new facilities and upgrade our existing campuses to accommodate all this growth.

The Harrison County School Board has approved up to a $55 million bond issue to build two new schools, redesign one campus, and renovate entrances to improve the security of schools throughout the district. We are seeking public support for this bond issue during an election that will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018.

The total cost of the proposed project is up to $71 million. The district has committed up to $16 million toward the initial cost of the project, so the bond issue will be up to $55 million. Based on current projections, the district does not anticipate this bond issue would require an increase in tax mills levied for District purposes.
In addition, there are continual capital improvement projects that are ongoing throughout the district as we continue to grow and improve.

If you still have further questions, please email Harrison County School District Public Relations Specialist Trang Pham-Bui at tphambui@harrison.k12.ms.us.

Phase two will be the addition of the elementary gym. Phase three will be four new kindergarten classrooms. This project will convert North Gulfport into a K-8 school. It is slated to be complete in August of 2021.